This Ordinary Life

Well, the Focus Variado has accompanied me on one of the hardest cycling challenges of my life, the Ronde de Flanders (pronounced ‘Roand da Flaanders’). This event covers over 250kms between Bruges and Novae in Belgium complete with 17 climbs. You may think that Belgium is flat, which it is, but imagine short steep cobbled climbs and you begin to understand what torture awaits you.

My journey started in London, where I headed to St Pancreas’s Eurostar Terminal. I had bought a soft bicycle bag to protect the Variado on its journey under the English Channel and across the Brussels. To my surprise the bag fit perfectly in one of the storage areas meaning that I would be able to avoid the £20 bicycle charge that I was expecting.

Three hours later including a second journey on a local train, I was at the hotel and tucking into a scrumpuous spaghetti carbonara together with a 10 strong Dutch continent to get up our glycogen reserves for the long day of cycling ahead. The some final adjustments to my bicycle before heading to bed at midnight to get in a couple of hours sleep ahead of the 4:30 start.

It seems that my head had only hit the pillow when my alarm went. Almost in slow motion I got my gear together and pulled on the lycra shorts. A quick breakfast was had and it was still dark when we rolled out the front door on our way to the shuttle bus that was to take us to Bruges.

An hour and a half later we arrived at the start of the event. Nerves and the cold had already gotten to me (not to mention that I was completely underdressed for the weather in shorts and a short sleeved top), so me and two other had to duck out and find a place to discretely evacuate our bladders. Cut to a storm drain on an abandoned main street… and cut away again quickly.

We headed of around 7:00 in a group for the first stage of the ride consisting of 140km of flat and fast roads. It was the first time that I had ridden properly in a group and I quickly began to understand what it must be like to ride in a Peloton. Imagine 30-40 riders almost wheel on wheel racing down the road at 40kph. It’s amazing with what apparent ease you can ride when drafting. The Variado performed beautifully and I was keeping up with riders who appear much fitter than I and on much more expensive bicycles than the Variado.

The weather was crisp and cold, but dry for the first hours, but this like my energy levels was to quickly change. After the first 3 hours of ridding it began to rain making the roads both slippery and a source of filth that was sprayed everywhere. I was already feeling a bit tired after the second feed-stop around 100kms after stuffing the 10th piece of honey cake and Stroh-waffle into my mouth. Little did I know that the real cycling hadn’t even begun.

The first hill of 17 came at 140kms. Before setting off from London, I had become aware that my gears weren’t shifting properly. Instead of taking it to the bikeshop to be adjusted, which would have cost money, I ignored it. This would be an error in judgement that would quickly become a “how could you be so cheap” moment.
Now what makes the Ronde de Flanders so challenging is the combination of two things. Firstly, it’s the hills. These on their own would be so bad; however, bring on the other element, cobbles. Of the 17 climbs, approximately 12 are cobbled. Now cobbles, in case you’ve never ridden them, turn your bicycle into a jackhammer that vibrates the hell out of your hand and your backside. Going up is challenging and I admit that due to the loss of my lowest 3 gears (thank-you for not getting the gears serviced beforehand) I had to get of the bike and push it up the top half of most of them.

The real problem actually ended up riding downhill on cobbles. Due to the speed and size of cobbles it seemed like the bicycle would shake apart at any moment. It took over a week for the numbness in my hands to go away. I am proud to say that the Variado took the cobble like a champ and appears to have survived the entire ordeal unscathed.

Anyway, to cut a 12 ½ hour epic cycle journey of over 280kms short… I set off at 07:00 and finished at 19:30 in a state of absolute exhaustion. I was covered head to toe in filth and was so tired my heart-rate wouldn’t go above 110bpm. It was an awesome experience, which I am already looking forward to doing again next year. It was good to see that I wasn’t along with 2 of our group of 10 not even finishing and about half almost falling asleep into their dinner.

You may ask, why did I sign-up to such a gruelling event? It’s simple, a good friend asked me, I didn’t do my homework and preparation and I needed to kick-start my training for the Etape. It’s amazing what a sense of achievement you get when you do something that you think is beyond your ability. The experience has left me stronger both mentally and physically.

Ronde de Flanders 2009 – watch out, here I come.

Posted by this ordinary life at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, my preparation for the Etape is in dire straits. My accident put me back over 4 weeks and July is looming ever closer. Now that I can't fly down to Italy for a week"s training due to taking too many holidays with my girlfriend (she's such a bad influence!), I need to come up with a
fool-proof plan.

I took my first step to being fit enough to compete by lugging my bike up to first Manchester, where I had some work engagements, and then across to Brighouse, where a good mate and riding companion lives.

Taking a bicycle on the train used to be a nightmare with pre-booking andvarious negotiations required. However, prior to this trip and in advance of a number of upcoming train journey's, I bought a bike bag from Wiggle.co.uk. It was good value for money at £50 and the train staff
didn't say a word about me taking it on the train (however, people everywhere stared as I lugged it around slung over my back. I'm just curious where I'll put it when my bike's not in it as my London flat is tiny!

Now to my cycle... my mate and I did our customary preparations consisting of a carb rich dinner cooked by his lovely wife and accompanies by plenty of wine and we then finshed up by chatting into the wee hours of the night while draining a bottle of Glenmorangie between the two of us. Note to self - the ACDC and Lynyrd Skinnard DVD are a must purchase - they rock!

We set off around 11:00 and for the next 4 1/2 hour we fought wind, hills and traffic. I now understand why my mate is so fit as every cycle tour he does is like a mini-alpine run. The wind was a lovely competitor as it made even some of the downhills a struggle. It was all bad though as at one point we hit 75 kph and my mate managed to get a driver to stop and almost belt him.

The driver had ignore his gesturing to give me space in a corner; however, he did respond to the "wanker" gesticulation and almost punched my mate. He was a small, fat local guy and we suspected the usual "small penis" syndrome.

The next weeks will have me running, getting to the gym and cycling as much as I can. I am even going so far as to lay off alcohol after tomorrow's epic bender. Interesting times lie ahead with my 260 km Ronde de Flonderers on April 5. Let's see how well I can prepare for that!

Posted by this ordinary life at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, today I had my first "proper" accident after almost 5 years of commuting in London. I've had 2 other minor dropping of the bike, but today was a whopper.

I have been getting quite fit over the last months and this has made commuting to work an increasingly quick affair. Add to that my almost animal instincts when it comes to reading traffic and you get a very nimble cyclist. The only problem is that a deer's instinct leads it to be paralysed in headlights and my ability to read traffic is fallible.

This morning I was passing up the inside of a white van (damn white vans and the fact traffic is too narrow to pass on the outside) when the driver suddenly decided he really wanted to pull up and grab a coffee. The problem was that he braked,indicated and turned in simultaineously and when I was right along side him.

What then ensued is a bit of a blur. The van hit me, I flipped up into the air still attached to my bicycle (thanks to those clip in pedals), I smashed the side mirror and kneed the curb when I crashed to the ground.

Initially I was stunned, what happened? I was suprisingly alert and not at all in pain. In line with previous accidents I've had, I did a self check and seemed ok. Well, at least I could move... The van driver stopped and some bystanders gave me a hand.

"Are you ok?" "I'm calling an ambulence" "Don't move"... The bystanders were all very helpful. While lying ther I made sure I informed the driver of his error to make sure I helped prevent him from doing it again and tried to be upbeat. Nothing hurt, so I thought the ambulence was
unnecessary. However, I was asked to wait.

Seems that the main damage was to my Focus Variado, whose Shimano 105 derailer (that'll cost £32 to replace!) was sheared off and other bits scraped. As to myself, kneeing the curb split my right knee open to the bone, definitely needing stitches. My left knee and elbow suffered minor scrapes...

I was glad that I had helmet and gloves on as these probably prevented even more serious injuries. I am definitely adding a high viz vest to my cycling gear and perhaps and air horn.

Well, the paramedics picked me up and took me to the hospital. I had a good chat with them about everything from cycling to "no win, no fee" to how to get girlfiends into cycling. After such candid chat, I thought things from here on out would be quick, but alas as I write this I am well into my second hour of waiting in A&E (Accident & Emergency). Seems that a gapping wound to the knee requiring stitches is a low priority injury in this hospital.

I've had some fun though. I wandered from the A&E into the hospital proper to get some breakfast. I hobbled through to the cafe with my bandage drooping to the point of exposing my wound only to be met with such appalling coffe and expensive food that I abandoned my efforts and hobbled back. Luckily there was a coffee stand with halfway decent coffee and a chocolate croisant on the return journey. The looks on peoples faces seeing my knee were golden and made the increasingly sore knee well worth it.

I forget to mention that the police also took my statement. Seems I was involved in an official traffic incident and someone may get a warning, fine or worse. Also seems that cyclist passing traffic on the inside, irrespective of circumstances and safety, may fall foul of the UK Traffic
Code which insists traffic can only be passed on the right. More likely than not, we'll both be considered at fault and the whole incident will be forgotten in the system.

It'll be interesting to see what happens next. Seems my ribs are now quite sore and the soft flesh above my hip as well.. A cracked rib perhaps? Well, only time will tell... I'll give an update later.

LATER...

Well, here's the verdict. Seems that while flipping in the air, it was my knee that smashed the van's wing mirror. This in turn slashed and peeled back the skin on my knee (eeeeewwwww!) before I hit the ground.

Getting stitched up was quite a laugh actually. First, a very charming nurse asked me to get undressed... that doesn't happen every day. This involved me getting naked and putting on one of those robes that are open to the back and your bum sticks out. Very fashionable...

Next a nice foreign doctor came in to assess the damage. Some blood pressure was taken, chest sounds, etc... Turns out he's a Polish doctor who was disillusioned with the hospital and the UK medical system in general. "Too many people taking the piss..." he said after telling a story about a girl who complained about a sore left shoulder and wanting to get written ill from a job that required her to use her right arm and the fact the busiest days in A&E are always Mondays. I had a good chat with him, which I think led to him taking a bit more care with me.

Wash, inject, wash and sew... before I knew it he'd put 8 stiches in my knee. It's amazing what the human body can take when anaestatised. I took a look when he was done and admired his work. He struggled a bit getting the bandage to stick on my hairy legs and ended up having to shave a bit to get flat skin. It was then that he shared with me a little secret, namely that he sometime shaves rude or unpleasant patients who don't need to be for the hell of it as revenge...

As part of the final evaluation, he took a look whether my ribs were materially injured. To do this he basically pressed down quite hard on my ribs... problem was he managed to hit exactly the spot that hurt. After a big jump and yelp, I couldn't help laughing. This not only dispelled my pain, but of all the things... he said there weren't any cracks or brakes and, yes, that was going to be very sore in the morning...

Well, thus ends my saga of crashing my bike. I am now at home for the afternoon to rest and recover.

Lessons learned:

- Overtaking on the inside on a bicycle is technically illegal
- Always relax when you crash and try to roll, it'll hurt less that way
- Always wear safety gear, especially a helmet, and high visibility clothing
- Cycling in London can be dangerous
- A&E sucks... always pack a good book in case you injure yourself and have to wait hours in A&E to get treated
- Always be nice to people, it'll ensure they don't mess things up on purpose.

Posted by this ordinary life at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Another weekend, another ride… This last one saw me getting out of bed way to late to participate in the Dynamo weekly ride around Richmond Park, so I had to find an alternative. This took the form of what should have been a 75km round-trip ride to Windsor Castle and back. The reason Windsor Castle scored a 1 is that when I though I had turned back toward London, I actually continued a few kms further west toward Maidenhead.

This was a mainly flat course, which enabled me to test the Variado’s performance on long flats. I found that I was able to settle quite nicely into a rhythm and cruise at about 30kmph. For the E’tape, I’ve been told that my average speed needs to stay above28kmph, so this average needs to come up to about 35kmph on flatter courses. I have put in an order for some new Sidi Zeta Road Shoes to replace my Triathlon Sidi T1s. I am hoping a stiffer sole and snugger fit will enable me to get some more power out of my legs. Hindrances on this route were mainly traffic lights in Inner/Outer London and road surfacing. What a difference it makes to cycle on freshly laid asphalt rather than rough grade sandpaper that covers most of London’s roads! No to forget the 10-15km cross winds and spitting rain.

The scenery on this route was very variable. The beginning of the ride takes you through some of London’s nicer parts such as Notting Hill, Shepherds Bush, Chiswick, Kew and then to of the not so nice parts like Hounslow. Finally, you pass along the northern boundary of Heathrow complete with riding underneath the path of 747’s just taking off. It finishes with a stint on the A4 and a few country roads near Datchet, before snaking along the Thames for a few kms past Eton and finally up to Windsor Castle.

Now Windsor Castle for me was a slight disappointment from the outside. Here I was envisioning a commanding castle on a green mound much like Camelot or Edinburgh Castle. What I got was a nice looking castle that was so cramped in by the town around it that you couldn’t appreciate the forest for all the trees. A shame, but I think I’ll still visit it properly another time.

The trip back was along the same route as the way out, which made for slightly monotonous riding. However, considering that I had a 17:00 hair cut, it was quite enjoyable to ride against the clock.

My stats are a bit boring, but I’ll share them nonetheless. I’ll be off on travels over the bank holiday weekend, so the next ride is likely to be some rounds of Richmond Park with the Dynamo Cycling Club in two weeks time.

Posted by this ordinary life at 8:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This weekend saw me and the Variado head up to the Peaks District for the Phil and Friends Challenge. Phil's a famous cycling commentator and his friends are an assortment of cycling fanatics with ages ranging from twenty-somethings to eighty-somethings.

The route is 150km of some of the most challenging the Peaks District have to offer. Total climbing was over 2600m. Combine that with the distance and you have a formula for pain and punishment.

I did what I could to prepare myself which included commuting to and from work (23min and 10km each way), a dozen gym sessions focused on core stability and 2 swims. Basically, I was very ill prepared. Although in my defence, I did carb load in the form of long drinking sessions while at Cowes Week on Monday and Tuesday, can't remember Wednesday and umpteen portions of pasta in various forms on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

I went up to Leeds on Saturday to meet up with one of my riding companions. His kids kept calling me "Jonathan", a guy who last visited and replaced me (I used to visit often when I worked on projects in the North). His wife had put on a serious feed complete with spaghetti bolognaise, garlic bread and banana splits. Only problem was that his son, Aaron, has a mild nut allergy, which meant that at 2am that spoon full of chocolate sauce with a small piece of nut that he stole from his Dad's plate resulted in him projectile vomiting a plate full of spaghetti with bolognaise sauce into his bed. I heard his cries for help at 1am and found the poor guy in a pool of vomit, not knowing what to do. My eight hours were only mildly interrupted, whereas his Dad spent an hour clean it up. This was the nail on the coffin as we didn't even manage to get a good night’s sleep beforehand.

Well, we were out of bed at 6:00 and on the road a 6:30. My mate's Imprezza rocketed us from his house to the start in Stannington in record time. Not only was I amazed that at 80mph his car was on the road, but that our bikes remained on the roof.

We started off at 8:00 with a group of about 40 people, but they quickly strung out as we travelled around the Peaks District. Rather than take you around the route blow-by-blow, I thought it fitting to give you my top ten comments.

10. £18 for First Class from Sheffield to London is not just cheap, it's a lifesaver.
9. Realising that triple chain sets are not for wimps they are for 18% gradients. Shame I only opted for the double.
8. If you break an arm off a cheap pair of DHB sunglasses, expect to lose
them the first time you get a cross wind.
7. Invest in a good pair of padded shorts, getting saddle sore is not pleasant.
6. If you are unfit and try to ride up xxxxx, don't cry. Just get off and walk, although that's not particularly easy either.
5. There no feeling like passing a guy on a £2000 carbon fibre bike on a £650 Focus Variado.
4. Don't stop for lunch even if the temptation is great.
3. Fixing a puncture after 125km of cycling is a feat that defies the rules of physics.
2. 73kmh is very, very fast!
1. A cup of tea and slice of pineapple paradise never tasted so as after 7 hours of riding.

For details of the rest of the ride, just have a look at the chart. I am amazed that I am still alive!

In summary, the Variado is proving to be a very worthy adversary for what the UK has to throw at it. Its next major event is another 150km cycle through the South Downs in September. Let's see if I'm not a bit better prepared for that one. Not as if that would be difficult after this event!

Posted by this ordinary life at 9:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My latest cycle took me through West London to Richmond Park and after two laps back to St Johns Wood. It was a great day for riding with plenty of sun and relatively little wind. After slapping on some sun screen and sliding on my shades, I was ready to go.

Key stats for this trip are as follow:

Distance = 56.9km

Calories = 1574

Avg Speed = 27.5km/h

Max Speed = 54.3km/h

Ride Time = 1hour, 52minutes

Climb = 292m

I use Polar Precision Performance SW to track my cycling. I have attached a screenshot which I find very useful is assessing my progress and determining when I have finally achieved the status of "Kick-ass Cyclist".

On a off-the-bike note, I tried to attach my Syntase Tri-bars to the Variado, but ran into a number of problems. Firstly, due to the geometry of the handlebars, the Tri-bars can't be attached close together enough to achieve the optimal riding position. Secondly, NEVER attach tri-bars over any cableling, common sense, I know. I tried to lead my gear cables through a nice gap created by the two halves of the tri-bars, which disappeared when I tightened them and I now have some nice pinch marks on the cabings. Luckily, it's only cosmetic and no damage was done to the actual cables themselves.

My next ride:

This weekend I hope to finally do the 80km trip out to Windsor and back. Ideally, once I reach some open stretches of road I try incorporating some sprints. I have also started daily sit-ups to see if some added core stability and belly-reduction will help me get into a more aerodynamic riding position and perhaps help me get my average ride speed up to over 30km/h.

Posted by this ordinary life at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, although I spend a lot of my time signing the praises of cycling as the best form of transportation, there are times where it definitely isn’t the safest.

Example in point, are the two crashes that I have had in the last 7 days. The first involved a large, double decker bus deciding it was necessary to pull out in front of me causing me to have to slow down to avoid being pushed into oncoming traffic. Then when I swerved to pass the bus on the inside (you see, I was going faster than the bus in the first place and actually had the right to be in the lane it tried to push me out of) there was a stationary Suzuki Vitara blocking my path. Luckily, I have great reflexes (not always the most focused) and jammed on the brakes. This enable me to execute a Vin Diesel like maneuver where the bike flipped up and I pushed it to the grounds stopping the bike, but a miscalculation on my own forward momentum meant that I still straddled the back of the Vitara. Both me and the driver were startled (she perhaps from seeing me in Lycra up close?), I made it out unscathed and the bicycle suffer the loss of a reflector on the front handlebars.

General danger factor on this one was 3 out of 10 due to the low speed of both me and the surrounding traffic. Lesson learned: Buses are big and an environmentally friendly menace to society.

The second injury was a bit more severe and the result of something that causes innumerable car accidents in all major cities with stop-start traffic, stopped cars choosing to wait a bit after traffic starts to flow again before moving. In London there is always congestion, which on a bicycle is a dream to fly through except when you need to change lanes. In this case, traffic has started to move and I had my eyes on the moving traffic ahead, but missed the big, black taxi van stationery in the lane I needed to move into. However, this time I was moving at more speed and there was a lot of traffic around me. I managed to escape this one by falling to the ground and incurring a couple of scratches and bruises, the bike only had the brake cable jumped out.

General danger factor on this one was 5 out of 10 due to the traffic and extent of my injuries.

I since have tried to figure out why I was suddenly having so many accidents, beyond the obvious statistical likelihood after not having had an accident in my 3 years of riding in the UK. All that I can correlate them to is the fact that I didn’t cycle with my Ipod for the last week. I assume the Ipod helps focus the other parts of my brain that aren’t used for cycling and keeps these from engaging the parts that are.

Hence, in my case, cycling with an Ipod actually helps me be more aware of my surroundings and ride safer. To all you Cycling Anti-Ipod Activists, put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Posted by this ordinary life at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

After conveniently scheduling my long ride on a day with heavy downpours last week, today was spectacular clear, blue skies (to start with). A friend of mine recommended a route set by the Serpentine Cycling Club that takes you through some beautiful countryside and challenges you with undulating topography. It’s 85km from Mill Hill up around Welwyn Garden City and back, so add the 15km round trip to Mill Hill from home and you have a round 100km ride. Not wanting to fall behind on the Battle of the Pre-Middle aged Bulge, I set off full of glee and with a print-off of a map and directions from the Serpentine website.

As with the ride to Boxhill, the first section through London is horrible. Bumper to bumper traffic escorted me all the way to Mill Hill. On bit of excitement was when a rock shot out from under my tire and hit the site of a van a two lanes of traffic over from me. I sprinted for about 10km through traffic hoping they didn’t chase after me, they didn’t!

The trip up to Mill Hill was only 30 minutes and the monotony of city traffic was blocked out by a 60 Minutes interview with Mitt Romney, the Mormon candidate for the Republican Nomination in the US. He’s an interesting guy who wants to run the US like a company, except that his company would persecute gays, stop Mexicans from illegally entering the US, ban abortion and send an extra 100,000 soldiers to Iraq.

Shortly after Mill Hill, I breathed a sign of relief that the traffic and interview were over and were replaced by some more peaceful country roads. The Serpentine directions were easy enough to follow and there were plenty of road signs. However, this was soon to change…

Up and down and round and round, the country roads were a joy to ride. My top speed at one point was a blinding 62km/h. The route took me first through Barnet then Arkley and then, oops, I missed a turn.

If you have ever driven in rural England, you will know that when signage is an issue. I don’t know if they were on crack at the time, but signs never seem to point straight down any road and road numbering is adhoc at best. Luckily, I found my way to Potters Bar (on the route) and was then quickly off it again.

For the next 90 minutes, I weaved my way across the route, never really being on it for more than a short stretch. I particularly enjoyed riding through Cole Green, where I took this candid shot. Doesn’t it make you feel like your home?

Anywho, I finally made it to Welwyn Garden City, pretty much half way. Sadly, this is also where things really went wrong. For some reason, all roads in Welwyn Garden City go to Hatfield, which was not, definitely not, on my route. I have quite good instincts when it comes to directions, so I did the only respectable thing I could do, I chose the first road that didn’t say it led to Hatfield.

This actually did turn out to be the right thing to do, the only thing that wasn’t so good about it is that the road quickly turned into a single track forest path that closer resembled a mountain bike trail than a road. At this point, I thought it safest to ask someone for directions. Typical for the UK, I quickly came across someone rambling (wandering aimlessly through the countryside in search of country pubs). He was friendly enough and explained to me that I had to follow the road/path I was on, ford a river (FORD A RIVER!?!) and then I’d be back on my route. Luckily, the road ford was dry, but I did catch a glimpse of some people having sex in the bushes. I was traveling at about 30km/h at the time, so it was much more of an undulating, white flash.

Shaken, but not stirred, I finally reached Ayot Green, which was almost back on track. I overshot the route again to Sandridge and again to Water End. Finally, I gave up trying to follow the route and b-lined it to Barnet, retraced myself back to Mill Hill and then home.

It was a great ride, although I did run out of energy after 3 hours, making the fourth a bit of a struggle. Key stats for this ride are:

Actual Route Taken

Distance = 101km

Calories = 2744

Avg Speed = 27.3km/h

Max Speed = 62km/h

Ride Time = 3hours, 58minutes

Climb = 795m

I really want to do this route properly and next time I’ll focus more on the 50 step instructions rather than the overview map. It’ll be interesting to see if I can juggle reading directions and riding.

The Variado performed very well over the duration of the ride. The carbon fork did a good job absorbing the jolts and jars from all but the poorest quality roads (like that single track through the forest). I have noticed a creak from the front wheel, which may be related to the axle as all spokes are still under good tension. Will have to take a look if some grit has infiltrated the bearings already. There is also a creaking noise coming from the pedals or bottom brackets. I tightened the pedals, but if it persists I’ll have to look at whether something else has come loose.

I also came across someone riding a Cayo, my, does it look all black and shiny… only 4681km to go. I dropped the “in a year” crap, once I ridden 5000km, then I’ll get a Cayo.

Off to my cold bath, hot shower and cold shower…

Posted by this ordinary life at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday, as Part 2 of my review of the Focus Variado and to kick-start my Battle with the Pre-Middle Aged Bulge, I took the Variado out for a 100km ride to Boxhill and back.

This ride took me through Central London, Brixton Clapham and straight down the A24 towards Dorking and to Boxhill. The first and last hours were painfully slow as traffic lights and congestion hindered my path, but the middle hour took me through some very nice countryside.

There were plenty of hills to keep me busy with a total altitude climbed on the ride a respectable 630m. Boxhill itself was a delight to climb on the Variado, so either people make it out to be much worse than it is, I am fitter than I thought or the Variado was born to climb. The view from the top of Boxhill is spectaular and well worth a visit even if not cycling. If you do choose to visit it as part of a weekend outing, don't forget to also visit the nearby Polsden Lacey manor house. Both are National Trust sites.

Regarding my previous comments on handling, in my opinion it will take a couple of rides until you get used to the very responsive nature of the Variado. I think I have reached this point (after 200km) as on this ride, even when reaching a top speed of 55kph and darting through traffic, I very much felt in control.

Some tired legs, a nice tan, 4 hours and 2700 Calories later, I arrived back home. I am very impressed with the Variado, to such an extent that I will be making a 4 hour Sunday ride part of my endurance training.

Next Sunday its out to Windsor and back (80km)...

T-minus 4798km in the next 337 days to go to the Cayo.

Posted by this ordinary life at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stepped on the scales these morning and received a surprise, 92.2kgs... To say the least, I was slightly miffed. Seems like yesterday I was celebrating my success in beating to pre-middle aged spread, but in a similar fashion to the Viet Kong, it has managed to creep back up on me.

Don't get me wrong, the signs were all there. Shortness of breath climbing long flights of stairs, breaking into a heavy sweat on a 10k run and having problems assuming the position on my bike due to belly squishage should couldn’t have been more obvious. Drinking plenty of alcohol, carbs after 8pm and at least one chocolate bar a day certainly didn't help either.

But I must admit, the nail in the coffin was a mate of mine comparing my man-boobs to my wife's breast and commenting that, although smaller at present, it was only a matter of time until my rack was bigger than hers.

On the back of his and certainly others friends’ comments (we have a refreshingly honest group of friends) and the fact I am crapping myself about the Jungfrau Marathon I've signed up to do in September, the ceasefire is over and the war on the pre-middle aged bulge is back on.

I'll keep you informed of my progress against the enemy and share some of my tactics. This enemy is wily and well entrenched, but I think that success will be mine. Just have to resist those Hoegaardens with a slice of lime on hot summer days, rye bread sandwiches with liverwurst and gherkins, Peanut Butter Chunky Kit Kats... Man, this is going to be tough!

Posted by this ordinary life at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Buying your first proper road bike is like asking a woman to marry you. Get it wrong and you could be stuck with something that is a "pain in the arse" and bleeds you dry. Therefore, me deciding to make this online was like deciding on a mail order bride. Does anyone know someone who is in a successful mail order marriage?

However, having thoroughly researched sub-£1000 road bikes, the Focus Variado's German craftsmanship, Shimano 105 set-up and Wiggle.co.uk's great price won my heart. Despite the fact that the Variado is the middle-class of the Focus range, I didn't feel like a cheapskate when it arrived (I had originally toyed with the thought of buying the full carbon Cayo).

At the moment you can buy the Variado from Wiggle for £699 including £70 of free kit. I used this allowance to pick up a pair of Shimano Ultegra SPD-SL pedals and some other equipment, which was a lot of bike/kit for the money. This may sound too good to be true, but don't forget that in the UK Focus can only be purchased online from Wiggle and I think the price is designed to overcome their lack of reputation and aftersales service.

The Buying Process

Buying any bicycle from Wiggle is quite and experience. A huge double thick box gets delivered to your house at an inconvenient hour meaning you have to take some time from work, but it's made up for by the fact that the bike is ready to ride out of the box. A word of warning, Wiggle have a funny returns and warranty claim policies. If you want to send something back, you have to return it in the original packaging all the way down to the reusable zip-ties. However, in all honesty, I think that a well worded email straight to Focus would get a favourable response to any warranty claim you might have...

Sizing

Sorry for digressing about buying from Wiggle, I'll get back to my review of the Variado. I sized the bicycle based on the sizing guide given on Wiggle's website. As I am 5'10" with a 33in leg, I ordered the Medium. I have to hand it to the guide, the bike fits me like a glove. Of course, I have common measurements so if you have stumpy or legs that don't quit (hey, women ride road bike too!), you might have to be a bit careful.

Handling

Regarding handling, I have to agree with other reviews that the Variado is very nimble and at times a bit unstable. However, on London's often thirdworld standard of roads this helps you wave around the worst of the potholes. I have ridden approximately 100km on it so far. The longest ride was 50km (2hrs) from North London around Richmond Park and back. I was neither saddlesore nor did I have backpain. I even managed a lap of Richmond Park (10km) in 20 min reaching a top speed of 52kph, which is miles faster than on my old Barracuda Azzuri (may she continue to bring her new owner years of commuting joy).

Climbing

Climbing is a dream with the compact 50-34 chainset performing very well on every hill that Central London and Richmond Park could throw at me. By the end of the ride I was actually looking forward to hills and will be esting it out on Box Hill in a few weeks time. That will be the Variado's opportunity to truely show what it's made of, that is if I don't die of exhaustion first.

Styling

The bike does look good. The azure blue is very appealing and the contrast with the white bar tape does give it a bit of white glove poshness. The only downside to the Variado is that Focus did get a little carried away with the decals, but I think this might actually be part of a brilliant marketing ploy making sure people know what make of bicycle it was that just raced past them.

Summary

Focus is a great newcomber to the UK bicyle market. The German passion of producing quality products at great prices means that we are likely to see many more of their models on the roads and trails in the coming years. It would also better if they toned down the Focus decals and if you could get "local bike shop" after sales service to go with them. But as a frugle German, I was happy to make do without. If you are willing to take a risk on the sizing and give up some of the after sales service, this is the ideal first road bike for anyone looking to take their cycling to the next level.

There is a risk of buying the Variado as I have already set myself the challenge that if I can cycle 5000km in the first 12 months, I will sell it and buy the full carbon, mostly Ultegra Cayo. Let's see how things go as the Cayo is my Ivana, that hot Russian Mail order bride...

Posted by this ordinary life at 8:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Here is what I wrote on my fundraising website last November and will repeat again to keep in tune with my "humans are inherently lazy" comment from my previous entry...

Apologies for the delay in this update, but life has been pretty crazy post-Marathon. The whole experience has left me a "changed man" and I recommend it to anyone. Don't get me wrong the experience was long, painful and I made all the classic novice marathoner mistakes, but the atmosphere, 8kgs I lost, sense of achievement and the £2,331.20 everyone helped me raise made it all worth it.

I need to send out some special thanks to Stefan for housing and entertaining me during my stay; Benjamin (my Brother), Louise and Gered for being great spectators; and Claire, my family and friends for being so supportive during the last months of preparation.Finally, both myself and the London Sports Forum are humbled by the amount donated by everyone and it will be put to good use helping the disabled in the Greater London area.

Anyone interested in joining me for the marathon in New York next year?

Posted by this ordinary life at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, this is a tale to two soles...

The first is thin and flimsy and is delivered with a pair of shoes when you buy them. The second is thick and luxurious, costs you a shedload of money and promises a "smooth ride". I bought a pair to address my concerns about being a "heavy runner" training for a marathon. For me, these insoles fit into the "good in principle, not so good in practice".

You may have read my previous entry, which heavily criticised the build quality of a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 6 shoes. In hindsight and following the fact that my latest pair of shoes, a pair of Saucony Omni 5s, have met a similar fate, I think it may not be wholly be the shoes fault, but also that of the Sorbothane insoles that I bought afterwards. I am not backing down from my previous statements that shoes are being designed to fall apart more quickly. I think this is a general trend of our consumption driven society (e.g. why do electronics always generally break down a couple of weeks after the warranty runs out?)

Sorbothane insoles are marketed as a great way to improve the cushioning of a pair of shoes. Now here is where things go a bit astray. Unless shoe manufacturers design shoes with these retrofittable insoles in mind, one could run into problems. I did.

Now the reason this happened is simple. Feet are meant to be cushioned by padding below the base of the "foot compartment". Hence this is why I believe that insoles are quite thin. However, the thin insolve also ensures that foot movement within the foot compartment is kept to a minimum. This reduces wear and tear of the material used inside the shoe.

Now when you introduce padding above the base of the foot compartment, this does give the shoe more cushioning overall. However, this introduces foot movement within the foot comparment. In my case, the resulted in the heel area of two pairs of shoes wearing out after 200km rather than the customary 400-500.

I wouldn't have thought this possible, but the motivation of losing £170 of shoes and having to walk 20 minutes in agony walking as a result of the shoes digging into my heals enabled me to develop and test this hypothesis.

Word of advice... get shoes that work out of the box. I am going to email Sorbathane with my story and see what they say. I'll let you know their response.

Posted by this ordinary life at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Week 6

Weight: 93 kg
Percentage body fat: 27%
Classification: Obese
Resting heart rate: 45bpm (Well, at least something is right)
Distance run: 15 km
Average Pace: 6:30
Distance cycled: 105 km
Distance swum: 0 km
No. of weight trainin sessions: 1
No. of training sessions: 10
Calories Burnt: 5550kcal

Units of alcohol drunk: ca. 20 (This time it was a leaving party for a colleague at work)

Comment: Took it easy this week as my leg was still a bit tender. This weekend I had my New York Marathon training day. Very informative.

Posted by this ordinary life at 9:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I don't know about you, but I haven't yet reached a state of Zen running. To me this is the point when running trancends being exercise and becomes a state of being. Kilometres fall to the wayside as your mind becomes clearer and you start solving the worlds problems every time you climb a big hill. It becomes a perpetual activity that once you reach critical mass could go on forever.

Until I reach that point, I will have to rely on more traditional means of motivation, namely running with a mate, pride and music. The last will be a focus of my entry today where I'll share one of my running playlists. My taste of music quite eclectic, but these songs will guaranteed get you through at least 10 - 15kms. I recommend running this playlist on random as there are multiple songs from both The Chemical Brothers (who have many great songs to run by) and Collective Soul (one of my favourite bands in general).

My running playlist:

1. Stop the Rock - Apollo 440
2. My Family - Banana Oil
3. Brian Wilson - Bare Naked Ladies
4. One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces - Ben Folds Five
5. Thunderstruck - AC/DC
6. It's 5! - Architecture in Helsinki
7. A Little Busy - Art Blackey & the Jazz Messengers
8. Pump It - Black Eyed Peas
9. Hazy Shade of Winter - Bodyjar
10. Comfort Eagle - Cake
11. Block Rockin' Beats - The Chemical Brothers
12. Setting Sun - The Chemical Brothers
13. Alive Alone - The Chemical Brothers
14. Energy - Collective Soul
15. Precious Declaration - Collective Soul
16. December - Collective Soul
17. After All - Collective Soul
18. Dakota - Stereophonics
19. Superman - Stereophonics
20. Why Do You Love Me - Garbage
21. Bring Me To Life - Evanescence

Happy running!

Posted by this ordinary life at 6:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A few days ago I purchased a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 6s on the recommendation of a sales assistant in a running shop. I had been running on Saucony Grid Shadows for the last year, but thought with the marathon looming ahead a new pair of shoes were in order.

The sales assistant made a great case for the Adrenalines. "They are amongst Brooks best selling models are for slight to moderate overpronators like myself and have good cushioning for heavier runners like you.". I thought they look quite good as well with a light mesh upper promising good ventilation.

My first run in them was an easy 9kms from home to work. This went reasonably well with the shoes feeling a bit hard. I had asked the guy in the shop about them feeling a bit hard, but he said that they would soften with a bit of time.

My second run was my Sunday Slow-long Run with this time was a 25km run up to Hamstead Health and back to a mates house in Maida Vale. This involved a variety of terrains including grass in Hyde Park, Payment running along the streets of London and hard parked trails in Hamstead Heath. It quickly became apparent as I clocked up the kilometres that I had bought the wrong pair of shoes. After about 5kms, I started to feel the terrain. Everything from sidewalk cracks to the odd piece of gravel to pebbles on the hardpacked trails could be felt through the sole of the shoe.

After my run, the ball of my feet were quite sore. Baffled after the sales pitch in the shop, I examined the shoes thoroughly. It turns out that the likely culprit are the gaps in the sole that are designed to make the soles more flexible. However, they also make the soles less protective and the balls of your feet more vulnerable.

I know I need a different pair of shoes and it's promising that the shop assistant has offered to investigate a solution. I hope it involves them exchanging them for another pair of Sauconys, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Does anyone have any recommendations on a well cushioned marathon running shoe that can handle more than just perfectly even terrain? I would be happy to hear your thoughts...

Posted by this ordinary life at 9:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Week 5

Weight: 93 kg
Percentage body fat: 27%
Classification: Obese
Resting heart rate: 46 bpm (Well, at least something is right)
Distance run: 41.3 km
Average Pace: 5:50
Distance cycled: 36 km
Distance swum: 0 km
No. of weight trainin sessions: 1
No. of training sessions: 9

Units of alcohol drunk: ca. 20 (This time it was a leaving party for a colleague at work)

Comment: Bought a new pair of running shoes, Brooks Adreneline GTS. The guy at the shop convinced me that they were amongst the best marathon running shoes on the moment; however, after 2 runs I disagree. Although they look the part, the soles don't have a continuous fubber layer, which means that any edge, rock or other uneven surface has the potential of bruising the ball of your foot. After a run through Hamstead Heath on hardpacked trails, my feet were butchered. The shop that I bought them at happen to be around the corner from my office and I will see what they say about this major shortcoming.

On another note, the left knee is still sore. Let's see if more ice, warm towels and some ibuprophen will make a difference.

Posted by this ordinary life at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Week 4

Weight: 93 kg
Percentage body fat: 27%
Classification: Obese
Resting heart rate: 45 bpm (Well, at least something is right)
Distance run: 40.3 km
Average Pace: 6:00
Distance cycled: 24.5 km
Distance swum: 0 km
No. of weight trainin sessions: 2
No. of training sessions: 8

Units of alcohol drunk: ca. 20 (This time it was a mate's birthday party

Comment: My left leg is still giving me some trouple, but the Runner's knee is improving. Weight training and icing is doing the trick. Now it appears that I have a light Iliotibial Band Syndrome, which manifests itself as soreness on the outside of my left leg. Let's see what I can to to overcome this. My short distances are really improving with my 10km down to 50 minutes.

Posted by this ordinary life at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I signed up for the New York Marathon, I decided the best way would be to do it for charity. Not only would this motivate me to ensure that I successfully complete the marathon, but it would also allow me to help a good cause. The charity I chose is the London Sport Forum, a charity that helps ensure that London's 1 million disabled have access to sport. It's a great cause and I am proud to support them.

To make raising the £2500 pounds I have committed to raise, there is a great system available for people raising money for charity called Justgiving. It enables you to collect donations on-line from people all over there world. It makes collecting the money a breeze and, if the person donating is in the UK, it will automatically collect the 28% tax benefit that such donations can get making the donation worth even more.

If you have a charity event and need to raise anything from £100 to £10,000, I recommend you set up a website with Justgiving. It's easy, it's global and it's secure. What a more effective way to reach that distant cousin in Timbuktu, who you reckon is good for a tener?

In case you would like to support me, why not check out the webpage that I have created with Justgiving and show your support. I have set this one up especially for this blog, so don't be put off by the £500 target as it is linked to a second one.

Posted by this ordinary life at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, marathon training means putting plenty of kilometres behind you. If you are like me (a bit unfit and a bit overweight), this can mean quite a strain on your body.

Although, I have run a fair few kilometres in my first 3 weeks of training (over 70), my body is still in short distance and walking mode. This means that I have already developed what the call "Runner Knee". This is a condition where you have pain beneath your knee cap and the knee cracks/creaks when you walk. Also walking down stairs is particularly painful.

I initally thought that I was in serious trouble and had developed an injury that would significantly impact my running. However, I Googled my symptoms and was directed to a website that I find provides very good insight and advice on running. It's called www.coolrunnings.com.

It was here that I discovered that I hadn't really developed an injury, rather than I had developed a condition. This condition is here your hamstrings (back of the thighs) become stronger than your quadreceps (front of the thighs and hold your knee cap in place). This causes pain in the knee and can become a serious injury if corrective action isn't taken.

What corrective action, you may ask? Quite simply you have to do excercises that strengthen the quadreceps. Theses include lunges, leg extentions, leg crunches and squats. I have done a couple of sessions of these and can already feel a significant improvements. Give it a week or two and I will be able to report back how effective this has been.

Training to run any long distance is always going to be tough, but it pays to understand how t effects your body and to recognise where you are injured and where you develop a condition that can be corrected.

Happy running...

Posted by this ordinary life at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Week 3

Weight: 95 kg
Percentage body fat: 28%
Classification: Obese
Resting heart rate: 47 bpm (Still low)
Distance run: 15.7 km
Average Pace: 6:15
Distance cycled: 0 km
Distance swum: 1 km
No. of weight trainin sessions: 2
No. of training sessions: 5

Units of alcohol drunk: ca. 25 (I was on holiday in Croatia, ok?)

Comment: Running in 29 degrees C is very challenging. Impressive considering I was on holiday.

Posted by this ordinary life at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Week 2

Weight: 95 kg
Percentage body fat: 28%
Classification: Obese
Resting heart rate: 47 bpm (Still low)
Distance run: 30.2 km
Average Pace: 6:00
Distance cycled: 40.5 km
Distance swum: 0 km
No. of weight trainin sessions: 1
No. of training sessions: 9

Units of alcohol drunk: ca. 20 (Still way too much)

Comment: Ramping up the kilometers...

Posted by this ordinary life at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Each week I will be keeping track of my progress in preparing for the New York Marathon. To see what effect preparing and running a marathon has on someone just around 30 and a bit on the chubby side will be interesting to say the least. I consider it the anti-Supersize Me challenge.

Week 1

Weight: 95 kg
Percentage body fat: 29%
Classification: Obese
Resting heart rate: 45 bpm (This can't be right! But does a Polar HRM lie?)

Distance run: 18.5 km
Average Pace: 6:39
Distance cycled: 0 km
Distance swum: 0 km
No. of weight trainin sessions:
No. of training sessions: 1

Units of alcohol drunk: 20 (Too much and let's see how reducing this improves my training stats)

Comment: To say the least, I do excercise regularly, but last week was more irregular. This week I'll up the sessions and variety of exercise.

Posted by this ordinary life at 7:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well, not quite, but over the weekend I did the first of my slow long runs to prepare me for the New York Marathon. It was more like 18.5 km, but for me that is one of the longer distance I have run in my life. This took me 2 hours and 5 minutes and was a 6:39 pace. For reference, to achieve my 4 hour target, I need a 5:45 pace. A bit more practice is needed to say the least...

Where does 18.5 km take you in London? It took me from South Kensington past Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, St. Pauls Cathedral, Liverpool Street Station, Russel Square, Edgeware Road to Maida Vale. By marathon training standards it was a middle distance run with a massive 35 km run awaiting me mid-October.

Regarding sore muscles, I have to admit that I am not too bad yet, but I have planned some light running today to prevent my muscles getting too tight. My training schedule has me running 25 - 35 km a week anway, so not much time for being a nancy with sore muscles anyway.

Next weekend, its a 22 km, which is the same route, but ending up back in South Kensington. Let's see if I can't get that pace down to under 6:30.

Posted by this ordinary life at 7:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Three hour drive, big pasta dinner, night in a B&B, swim, bike, run and drive home again. This is my life for at least the 6 weekends a year where I participate in triathlons across the South and Midlands of the UK. A good friend of mine got me into this sport a year ago and I have taken quite a shine to it.

First tip of successful triathlon participation - leave your dignity at home. This is a sport of lycra and participants of all abilities and physical statures. You see the buff, the not so buff and the downright fat. Perhaps you, like me, are one lof the latter yourself. Irrespective of what shape you are in, what is important is that you are setting yourself apart for more than 99.9% of the population because you belong to a strange group of people who love pain called "triathletes".

Over the course of the coming months, I'll be sharing with you my own triathlon journey. I hope that some of my experiences with help those of you considering doing your first triathlon get out there and do it. I'll also share with some of the tips that I come across whuch will hopefully culminate in me doing an Ironman distance in September 2007.

I hope you'll join me...

Posted by this ordinary life at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)